Commentary 19 Jan 2011 09:57 am
BAFTAs, Benzon, Michel Ocelot & Poe
– The BAFTA nominations were announced on Tuesday. These werer the three British films that were nominated for best animated short in what is the equivalent of the British Oscar.
The Eagleman Stag by Michael Please
Matter Fisher by David Prosser
Thursday by Matthias Hoegg
We wish all three filmmakers luck and will look forward to the winner which will be awarded on February 13th.
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- For much of the time, William Benzon has analysed and discussed Disney and Nina Paley films on his website, the New Savannah. Today he looks at Porky in Wackyland, the psychotic Bob Clampett short film from 1938.
It’s a strong analysis which gives one pause. Lots to be said over such a zany short produced well ahead of its time. I found it interesting that Bill Benzon made no mention of Friz Freleng’s 1949 remake, Dough for the Do Do. No loss, since the remake is a sloppy second. Freleng just doesn’t have the juice that Clampett did 10 years prior.
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Michel Ocelot has his latest feature, Les contes de la nuit (Tales Of The Night) ready to make its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. This is a cgi animated film in 3D. He had another film with the same title done in 1992 which was done in conjunction with his students, and I wonder if the one has anything to do with the other.
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– I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that today is the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe. (I am doing a feature about the guy!) It’s his 200th anniversary – the BiCentennial.
The Poe Museum in Virginia is celebrating with all-day festivities.
There will be performances by “the world’s smallest Edgar Allan Poe and by two regular-sized Edgar Allan Poes. Be among the first to see the new exhibit “Poe Revealed” featuring the latest discoveries in Poe research. More information is coming soon. Cynthia Cirile will be speaking about her latest discoveries in the world of Poe research at 1 P.M. We will serve birthday cake at 3 P.M.”
In New York, we can make a pilgrimage to the Bronx to the Poe Cottage Museum. This was his last home prior to his death. They celebrated a day early with a reading by a Poe impersonator.
Or maybe just read about it on line. The Huffington Post, Time Out NY
on 19 Jan 2011 at 10:53 am 1.Elliot Cowan said …
Although I’ve not seen any of these BAFTA nominees, the design is rather different from the nominees the same category at the Oscars.
Matter Fisher looks incredible (maybe it’s a terrible film, but the still is stellar).
on 19 Jan 2011 at 2:23 pm 2.Bill Benzon said …
Actually, I’d viewed Dough for the Do-Do while working on Wackyland, but didn’t comment on it because, well, if I’d gone for yet a longer post the thing to do would have been to say more about Wackyland.
As you say, Dough is a weaker cartoon. For example, when Clampett finally reveals the do-do he has Porky front and center at the bottom of the screen with his back to us. It’s as though Porky were in the audience and we’re looking over his head to the door in which the do-do will appear. In Freleng’s version Porky isn’t on screen at all. That absence changes the whole sense of the scene.
Another major difference is in the newsboy gag that Clampett uses at the beginning. He echoes that at the end when Porky disguises himself as a Wackyland newsboy and hawks a special edition about Porky’s successful capture. Freleng has no newsboy at the beginning and so has nothing to echo at the end. His ‘capture’ gag is at once more complex and more diffuse. He ends with new material whereas Clampett ended by reprising old material, but with a variation.
There are other such differences. Freleng’s version may have had the advantage of color — it does look wonderful — but it’s structurally weaker.
on 19 Jan 2011 at 2:58 pm 3.Eric Noble said …
Excellent post Mr. Sporn. I look forward to your feature film on Edgar Allen Poe.
BTW, I was hoping I could do an interview with you on your job. It is for a school project. We are to interview someone in the field in which we are interested. Please contact me at my email address if you are interested. Please answer as soon as possible, preferably today or early tomorrow. I will send you a message on facebook with my email address. Thank you for your time.